After trying different cruise hacks over the years, I wanted to put all the best tricks for an inside room to the ultimate test.
When I booked a last-minute cruise on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas in a tiny inside room, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to gather every tip I've amassed into one stay.
I love discovering new ways to make a cruise better, especially unconventional ideas, and gadgets you can buy online. While not all of them work as well as someone claims, I've slowly amassed a list of tips and tricks that definitely do work.
Every little hack can make a big difference when you're in an inside room. Space is so limited and not having any windows or access to the outside makes these rooms less than ideal. That's all the more reason I wanted put it all to the test.
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I came up with ten of the absolute best inside cruise ship cabin hacks that made my room better.
You don't know if it's morning in an inside room, so I brought a sunrise alarm clock
Besides the room being small, there's really no way to know if it's 3am or 3pm without a clock.
Relying on your phone means you have to open your eyes and then be temporarily blinded from the brightness of your phone as you check the time. And then you have to hopefully be able to fall back asleep if it's not time to get up yet.
A sunrise alarm clock worked so much better than I ever expected because it allows you to wake up more like you would at home.
You set the alarm time and then how much lead up you want for the light to start. The idea is the clock slowly illuminates the room leading up to your alarm time.
Just like at home when the sun rises and your room starts to get brighter, so will your inside cabin.
The reason I really liked this clock is if I woke up before my alarm, I could tell if there was some light in the room with my eyes closed. That made it easier to fall back asleep without having to check the time.
Moreover, there are all sorts of melodies and sounds for the actual alarm. I picked birds chirping so I wouldn't get as jolted out of bed as I would with a regular alarm.
ecozy Sunrise Alarm Clock on Amazon
I brought heavy duty magnets to fix the worst thing about these cabins
When you sail on an older Royal Caribbean ship, you'll quickly discover the shower is different than on new ships.
Instead of a plastic or glass shower enclosure, Radiance class ships have a cloth curtain that tends to cling to you while in the shower.
Our readers recommended bringing magnets to keep the curtain away from me, because I could use the magnets to hold the curtain against the wall. The walls in the bathroom and cabin are made from metal, so you can use magnets nearly anywhere.
This strategy definitely worked well, and I enjoyed the shower more as a result.
Plus, heavy duty magnets can be used in the room to hold up clothes and other items. That keeps the room tidier and reduces the amount of things that would otherwise be strewn about.
8 Pack Magnetic Hooks on Amazon
Bringing a battery operated fan was like having a ceiling fan and helped cool me down
My new favorite cabin hack is to bring a USB chargeable fan because it has a magnet at the base and be attached just about anywhere.
Even though this cruise was in early May and not quite summer, it was very hot and humid while our ship sailed to Cozumel, Mexico.
I placed the fan near the air conditioning vent on the ceiling, which blew cold air right on me while I lay in bed. It was perfect for sleeping.
When I returned to my room after a hot and sweaty day in Cozumel, I moved the fan and placed it on the wall to help cool me down faster.
I was impressed by how well bringing a fan worked and what a difference it made in my overall comfort.
Magnetic cruise ship fan on Amazon
I put a digital thermometer so I knew exactly what temperature to set
This one probably sounds weird, but I swear bringing a thermometer makes a difference in keeping the room at the temperature you want.
If you're like me, you're used to having your house set to certain temperature because you have a smart thermostat that you can set precisely. But on most cruise ships, there's just a dial with "hot" and "cold".
While you can play the game of "how cold is too cold", I placed the magnetic thermometer above the thermostat dial. Then, I could adjust the room's thermostat and be able to better track if it was indeed the right temperature I prefer.
Is it critical or totally necessary? No, but it made my stay better because I knew exactly what temperature the room was at any time.
Mini Indoor Thermometer on Amazon
A magnetic toothbrush holder made my tiny bathroom counter less cluttered
No matter if you're in an inside room or a balcony, cruise ship bathrooms are really small, especially the counter tops.
Buying a magnetic toothbrush holder freed up my razor, toothbrush, and toothpaste from taking up space on the counter or in the glasses that are usually provided.
Every inch of counter space I didn't need was welcome, and I think this would be especially important if you're sharing the room with someone else. If you're cruising with kids, I'd buy one for each one and that will make a world of difference.
Magnetic Toothbrush Holder on Amazon
Storing my luggage under the bed frees up closet space
I think one of the first cruise ship cabin hacks I ever learned was you could shove your suitcases under your bed instead of putting them in the closet.
When you're staying in a small stateroom, you'll want to take advantage of every inch of space you have. Underneath your bed is a vastly underutilized area.
You can nest the luggage inside each piece, and then slide it under the bed until you need it at the of the sailing.
Not only is out of sight, but it means your closet can be fully leveraged.
I was skeptical splitting the beds would make the room feel roomier, but it works
The first time I heard I should split my bed instead of keeping them together, I thought this was crazy. But it really does work.
When you have the beds together in an inside room, the bed is in the middle of the room and the only way around it is off to the side.
But splitting the beds apart and pushing them against the wall opens up a walkway in the middle of the room, and it's undeniably easier to get around.
I tried with the beds together and apart while on this cruise, and it certainly made a difference having the beds split.
Bringing a travel spray for the bathroom ensured odors never become problematic
Real talk: there are no fans in the bathroom of a cruise ship stateroom, so odors don't have anywhere to go.
Packing a travel sized Poo Pouri spray should be standard issue for everyone in their cruise packing list for your sake and everyone in your cabin.
Yes, it works, and yes you'll be happier to avoid situations where everyone has to avoid the bathroom for 25-35 minutes. If you know, you know.
Poo-Pourri Pocket Toilet Spray on Amazon
Packing a power outlet extender is a must-have when sailing on an older ship
Cruise ships have very few power outlets in their cabins, and that can create a problem with who can charge their device first.
My room had just two American power outlets, so I was glad to bring a power outlet extender with me.
It's important to note Royal Caribbean has banned power strips and multi-plug extenders, so you need to have the right one that won't get confiscated.
The rule to follow is the device can only have one AC outlet, but unlimited USB outlets.
EPICKA Universal Travel Adapter on Amazon
Bringing a nightlight so I didn't walk into a wall
The only time your room is going to be completely dark is at night, and if you have to get up in the middle of the night, it can be difficult to get around.
I brought a motion activated nightlight to place near the bathroom. I didn't want it activating when I moved around in bed, but I would want it to work if I got up and made my way to the entry way.
Radiance of the Seas actually has built-in motion-activated nightlights, but you never know if your room will actually have one. Nonetheless, it's great having a way to have a little bit of light without blinding you by turning on the cabin lights.
Motion-Activated Battery LED Light on Amazon
